It’s nearly 30 years since a horse broke its Group One duck in the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes although King Of Steel is an increasingly warm favourite to do just that next weekend.
As opposition drops away from the Irish Champion Festival’s €1.25 million feature, Roger Varian’s star dominates betting for Leopardstown’s big race which usually ranks among the top-rated renewals of the year globally.
The lightly raced English three-year-old is as short as 11-8 with some firms to land a first career top-flight victory.
Runner-up to Auguste Rodin in June’s Epsom Derby before landing Royal Ascot’s King Edward VII Stakes, King Of Steel last appeared in the King George when third to Hukum.
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The last horse to secure a maiden Group One success in the Irish Champion Stakes was Pentire in 1995. He was also placed in the King George that year having landed the King Edward prior to that.
A call by connections of the German Derby winner Fantastic Moon to skip Leopardstown in favour of staying at home for this Sunday’s Grosser Preis Von Baden removed another international element from Leopardstown.
Both the unbeaten French Derby winner Ace Impact and John Gosden’s Juddmonte International winner Mostahdaf were also ruled out earlier this week.
However, a home defence led by Auguste Rodin is also set to include another proven Group One winner in Joseph O’Brien’s Al Riffa who finished runner-up to Ace Impact on his last start in Deauville.
The Gosden team also indicated on Friday that their star miler Inspiral will not take up a Champions Festival option in the Coolmore Matron Stakes. They will wait instead for Newmarket’s Sun Chariot Stakes in a month’s time.
“She’s in good form and we’re probably favouring Newmarket and the Sun Chariot is a possible race for her. I think that’s favoured,” said Chris Richardson, managing director of the Cheveley Park Stud that owns Inspiral.
The filly completed back-to-back successes in Deauville’s Prix Jacques Le Marois on her last start.
Inspiral’s absence leaves Dermot Weld’s Tahiyra as a likely odds-on favourite for the Matron with local rivals Zarinsk and Meditate next in ante-post betting.
One cross-channel star on course for the Champions Festival is top sprinter Highfield Princess who will defend her Flying Five title at the Curragh next Sunday.
The Flying Five was one leg of a Group One hat-trick for John Quinn’s star in 2022 but she has twice this year found a competitor too good at the top level.
🗣️ "All being well, if she comes out of the Curragh well, we’d like to run her in the Abbaye and we’ll see from there."
— Sporting Life Racing (@SportingLife) September 1, 2023
👑 Highfield Princess is firmly on course to defend her crown the Flying Five Stakes in Ireland next weekend. pic.twitter.com/GwXsGZDR9v
The mare had to give best to Live In The Dream in York’s Nunthorpe last time and was second to Bradsell at Royal Ascot in June.
“She’s come out of York well, touch wood she seems fine,” said Quinn. “We’re just ticking her over and all being well we’ll head to Ireland a week on Sunday. There’s no reason to change the plan just because she got beaten.”
Highfield Princess could be on her travels again after the Champions Festival as Quinn added: “All being well, if she comes out of the Curragh well, we’d like to run her in the Abbaye and we’ll see from there.”
Weekend action
This weekend’s other European Group One prize is the Prix Du Moulin at Longchamp which features an all-French field albeit with Andre Fabre’s hope Birr Castle possessing a familiar name.
How Godolphin’s hope fares will be of interest elsewhere considering he was third to Ace Impact and Al Riffa at Deauville. The one to beat however appears to be Christopher Head’s Big Rock, runner-up to Ace Impact in the French Derby and subsequently second to Inspiral in the Marois.
This weekend’s domestic action is highlighted by Sunday’s Group Three Coolmore Fairy Bridge Stakes at Tipperary.
Joseph O’Brien saddles a trio of fillies for the seven-furlong event. They include topweight Honey Girl and last season’s Concorde Stakes winner Statement who is making her first start of this campaign.
In the circumstances the apparent stable number three, Miramis, might represent betting value, being clearly on the upgrade on the back of a stakes success at Galway last time.
One of her three-year-old rivals is Matilda Picotte with Colin Keane stepping in for the suspended Ronan Whelan. The 1000 Guineas third has plenty to prove though on the back of a poor effort at Goodwood last time.
Lady Tilbury boasts a perfect three-from-three record over Tipperary’s lightning-quick five-furlong track and it’s hard to argue with that in the context of Sunday’s Listed Abergwaun Stakes.
There are a trio of Ballydoyle juveniles in Sunday’s opening maiden although they will have to be smart to overcome Sea The Polaris.
Paddy Twomey’s charge, an entry in next Saturday’s Golden Fleece at Leopardstown, looked an unlucky loser on his Galway debut. That experience around Ballybrit should be a plus this time.
